Improvement in camp-beds



O. A. WHITE.

Camp-Bed.

No. 202,685. Patented April 23,1878.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

ORSAMUS A. WHITE, OF NORWALK, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAMP-BEDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,685, dated April 23, 1878; application filed January 31, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORSAMUS A. WHITE,

of Norwalk, in the county of Huron and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oot-Bedsteads; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this-specification Figure 1 being a perspective view of the bed, showing the canvas or covering, the jointed side rail, the folding frame-work or legs, and the swinging notched frame for holding one portion of the bed at an angle to the other portion. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation, showing the parts above alluded to as partially folded up. Fig. 3 is an end view, showing the swinging frame for adjusting the inclination of a portion of the side rails of the frame and of the canvas covering. Fig. is a detached view of a portion of one of the jointed side rails, and also a portion of one pair of the folding legs, carrying the pin upon which the side rail is placed when the bed is in position for use, but which is shown as above the rail in the figure, ready to allow the bed to be folded up; and Fig. 5 is aview of a bent rod, which is for use in securing the covering to the side rails.

Corresponding letters refer to corresponding parts in all of the figures.

This invention relates to that class of bedsteads known as cot-bedsteads, and which are designed for use when in their extended or partially-extended form, and when not in use may be folded into a small compass, for convenience in transportation, and so as to occupy but a small space when stowed away; and it consists in the combination and arrangement of some of the parts of which it is composed, as will be set forth in the following description and claims.

The objects of this improvement upon cotbedsteads are as follows: First, to provide a convenient bed for sick persons, one in which the upper part of the body can be arranged at any required angle to the lower portion without removing the patient therefrom, and without, to any considerable extent, disturbing such patient; and, secondly, to provide a bedstead which can be raised vertically, for convenience in surgical operations, by simply changing the points at which the legs are pivoted to the side rails; and, lastly, to provide a bedstead which shall possess the above-enumerated advantages and at the same time be capable of being folded into a comparatively small compass, for convenience in storage and transportation.

In constructing bedsteads having my improvements embodied therein, I provide two side rails, A A jointed at or near their centers to plates of metal A or other suitable substance, said plates being placed one upon either side of each rail, and provided at their centers with an aperture, which, when the bed is in use, allows a pin, A to pass through it, and thus form a support for the center of the rails.

When it is desirable to have the bed extended to its full length in a horizontal plane, the side rails are pressed apart until they will pass up by the ends of pins A, when they are raised until said pins will enter the apertures in the plates A when they are allowed to approach each other to cause the pins to pass through them and form the supports above alluded to and when it becomes necessary to fold the bed up for any purpose the side rails are sprung apart, so as to remove the rails from the pins, when they are dropped below said pins, as shown in Fig. 4, and the rails are in a condition to be folded.

The side rails of the bedstead are covered with canvas, ticking, or any strong cloth or leather, as shown at B, it being firmly secured thereto at its ends by nails, buttons, or in any suitable manner. This permanent attachment extends from the opposite ends of the rails for a short distance; and between such parts there are secured to the edges of the covering B strips of metal B B, each of which is provided with a series of holes, so that they can be secured to pins attached to the rails A A, and thus hold the central portions of the covering in position when the bed is in use, but which may be unbuttoned or slipped off from the pins when the bed is to be folded, in order that the rails may be sprung apart, as above described.

The rails AA are provided with a series of holes, 0 C, in order that when it becomes desirable to raise the bed to a higher level, for surgical or other operations, the points at which the legs are pivoted thereto may be brought nearer together, which will have the efl'ect to change the angle at which they stand, and thus produce the desired effect, this change being easily effected, it being only necessary to withdraw the rod C C and carry the upper ends of the legs to one of the holes 0 and insert the rods therein. The legs above alluded to consist of bars of wood or other material, and put together in pairs, those upon one side being lettered I), D, D, and D those upon the opposite side being the same in form and arrangement, D and D being pivoted together at their upper ends, at the center or pivoted points of the rails A A, and carrying the pin A upon which said rails rest when in use. The legs D are pivoted to the rails A A, as shown in Fig. 1, and extend downward at such an angle as to cause them to cross those lettered D, to which, at their crossing-point, they are pivoted. D and D are also pivoted together at their lower ends, as shown.

When the bed is in a horizontal position throughout its entire length, the legs D D being pivoted to D D at or near their centers, have their upper ends held in position by clamps E E, which are held in their positions by one of the rods 0, said clamps being provided with buttons E E, secured thereto, so that when the upper ends of said legs are placed in said clamps and the buttons are turned into the positions shown in Fig. 2, they are securely held in such position as to give a horizontal position to the whole upper surface of the bed; but when it becomes necessary for any purpose to give an inclination to one portion of said surface, the buttons E are so turned as to allow the upper ends of the legs to pass out of the clamps, as shown in Fig. 1, when the swinging frame F is brought into requisition, and holds the inclined portion of the bed in its adjusted position.

The frame F consists of two bars, of any suitable material, separated from each other by cross rods or bars, and held at such a distance apart that the outer surfaces of the frame will just pass in between the legs of the bed. This frame is mounted, upon the same rod that carries the clamps E and the buttons E, and is so arranged that, when desirable, its lower end is allowed to he slipped otf from the rod upon which it rests when the bed is fully extended, and to drop down into the position shown in Fig. 1, in doing which notches in the edges of the bars of which the sides of the frame are composed are made to rest upon the rod which holds the upper ends of legs D apart, and thus any desired inclination can be given to a portion of the bed. The position which this frame occupies when the device is folded up is shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I wish it understood that I am aware that folding cot-bedsteads, broadly considered, are not novel, and that I do not claim such devices when not made in a manner substantially such as I have described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a folding cot-bedstead, the combination of jointed side rails, a covering made fast to said rails throughout portions of its length, and secured thereto throughout the remaining portion by means of metallic plates or buttons and pins, and folding legs, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the folding rails A A, the detachable legs D D the clamps E E, buttons E E, and the frame F, the parts hein g constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a folding cot-bedstead, the combination of the jointed rails A A, plates A A, and pins A arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own 1 affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ORSAMUS A. WHITE.

\Vitnesses O. E. KELLOGG, T. H. KELLOGG. 

